Time to say goodbye
by April4444Key
Summary: Ladybug always knew that eventually the time would come for her and Chat to part ways and say goodbye, but with graduation above them the time has finally come for the two superheroes to go their separate ways.
1. Chapter 1

It's funny, how everything you're ever known can suddenly change.

Those were the words that rang through Ladybug's mind as she wistfully studied the only place that she had ever known as home from the roof of a dark building. The city was beautiful at night, in the distance she could see the Eiffel Tower, standing tall and glowing brightly.

It was weird to realize that tonight would be the last time that she would see it again. It was strange, to know that tomorrow everything would be different, that everything would change and she could do nothing to stop it.

She should be at the graduation party right now, laughing and talking with her friends as they enjoyed their last night together before they all parted ways to go spread their wings and begin their lives. It was a scary thought. The world was a big place, full of many unknown things, but the time had come for her to get up and go find her place in it.

Ladybug sighed as she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. It was funny, almost ironic. She had faced many villains over the years, gone up against greater evils and had even managed to defeat the Papillon. Yet, none of those had scared her as much as this scared her.

Sure, she had done all those things, but she had done them with Chat Noir by her side. They were a team, and for eight years they had worked together to keep Paris safe from the greatest evil known to man. He was always there for her, even when things had gotten rough and when forces tried to break them apart, the strings of their friendship had always remained strong.

It wasn't the thought of growing up and being an adult that truly terrified her, it was the fact that she and Chat would have to part ways. She had known this day would come eventually, they couldn't be superheroes for the rest of their lives. When they had defeated the Papillon, their ultimate enemy, she had known that their days together were numbered, but she had chosen to simply push those thoughts to the back of her mind. But now, graduation day had come and passed, the time had come for it to end.

From behind, she heard the soft thud of foot landing on the concrete floor and the slightly heavy breathing of a certain cat superhero. Chat Noir had finally arrived.

His hair was slightly more messed up than usual and he appeared to be out of breath, but his eyes held the same bright shine that they always had. "Good evening, my lady." He grinned as he bowed dramatically.

Ladybug chuckled at his antics, all her worries and fears brushed away by Chat's arrival. "Hi, Chat." She greeted, getting up from where she had been sitting to walk closer to him. "You're looking...a little more flustered than usual." She teased, poking him gently on the nose.

"That's because you take my breath away, my lady." Chat winked as he replied smoothly without skipping a beat.

"Have trouble coming here tonight?" Ladybug asked, rolling her eyes a bit at his flirting. She was really going to miss these moments that they had together, even if it did get annoying when Chat flirted so much.

"Yup." Chat sighed as he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it. "Today was a pretty big day, and it wasn't so easy to slip away unnoticed." His eyes faltered for a bit and for a millisecond a tired look flashed across his face before being replaced with his trademark grin.

"We'll be done quick, don't worry." She promised, although it caused her a pang of sadness. She knew that it was selfish of her to ask Chat to meet up with her tonight, he was wasting the little time he had left with his friends to come patrol with her, but she just wanted a chance to properly say goodbye to him.

"After you, Bugaboo." Chat gestured to her. "Lead the way."

They went off, jumping between buildings and flying through the air as they checked every little nook and cranny of the city for any suspicious people or crimes. The city was quiet at night, not one little peep could be heard and that was expected. Ever since Hawkmoth had been defeated, the crime in Paris had decreased dramatically and there was really no need for them to patrol at night anymore.

As they crossed off more and more areas off their patrol list, Ladybug could feel her heart grow heavier and heavier with each second that went by. The end was near, the time to say goodbye was nearly upon them and she wasn't ready, she didn't want to leave him yet.

Chat kept sneaking glances at her, studying the troubling look on her face, but he chose not to say anything and for that she was grateful. She wanted to focus on patrolling.

"Well, tonight was pretty quiet," Chat finally spoke when they arrived back at the original building they had met on. "They was really no need for us to patrol."

"I know, but I wanted to..." Ladybug sighed sadly as she slumped against a wall and stared down at the floor. "Just one last time, before..." She blinked, surprised to find that her eyes were full of tears threatening to spill and run down all over her cheeks. She quickly wiped her hand across her face and got rid of them.

Chat was quiet for a few seconds, he looked at her intently, a rare serious expression was spread across his face. He walked over to her and sat down besides her. "I guess it is the last time, huh?" He asked, his voice full of sadness. "Today's been a day full of last times. The last time going to school, the last time seeing all my friends, but...I didn't realize, this'll be the last time we see each other."

"I know..." Ladybug said quietly as she looked up at the sky. "It's so strange...to think...that this'll all end..."

"Tomorrow, we start the rest of our lives," Chat looked up at her and smiled sadly. "These past few years have been the best of my life, Ladybug. I'd give anything to be able to spend a little more time with you."

Ladybug didn't say anything, she couldn't. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she'd choke up and the waterworks would open up. She did the only thing she could, she sat down next to him and placed a comforting arm around his shoulder.

Chat had other ideas. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Goodbye, my lady." Chat whispered softly as he buried his head in her shoulder and tightened his grip.

"Goodbye, Chat." Ladybug quietly replied back. She didn't want to let go of him all she wanted was for them to just stay like that forever.

They stayed like that for a few moments, just quietly enjoying each other's comfort and warmth while looking up at the nigh sky and gazing at it's beauty.

"Ladybug?" Chat was the first to break the silence that had settled between them. His voice was hesitant, as if he was afraid to say what was on his mind.

"Yeah?" Ladybug looked up at him curiously, surprised by the sudden nervousness he displayed.

"I want you to have this." Chat pulled away from the hug so that he could dig something out of his pocket. Once he got it, he held it out to her. In his palm laid a bracelet made up of red string and a few colorful beads. He smiled softly at it before nodding towards Ladybug. "Something to remember me by."

Ladybug stared down at the bracelet, wondering why it looked so familiar and trying to figure out why Chat had it. "What is it? Did you make?" She asked curiously, leaning in closer to inspect it up close. She didn't know why, but she knew that she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where and it was driving her insane.

"It's a good luck charm." Chat explained as he gently put the bracelet in Ladybug's hand and closed her fingers around it. "It means a lot to me, one of my close friends gave it to me a few years ago, but I want you to have it. So you'll never forget me."

His words struck a chord in her and suddenly the memory of the bracelet came flooding back to her. She had given Adrien the bracelet years ago when they had been practicing for the video game tournament, how could she have forgotten? That's why it looked so familiar. But the one thing she couldn't understand, was how Chat had gotten a hold of it. Unless...

She looked at Chat again, taking in every single detail about him, from his perfectly messed up blonde hair to his shining green eyes and soft smile. She grasped sharply as the reality slammed into her, it was so obvious...how had she not figured it out earlier.

Chat was looking at her strangely. "My lady?" He asked, taken back by her reaction. It was just a bracelet, why did she appear to be in shock, as if she had just found out that her life was a lie? Ladybug looked at him and smiled softly. The look on her face made his heartbeat speed up and his cheeks heat up.

"Chat, I'll never forget you." Ladybug promised as she swiftly stepped forward to place a small peck on his cheek. It happened so fast, he thought that he may have just imagined it, but the blushing look on her face told him otherwise. "And I promise, we'll see each other again."

And just like that, she was gone, leaving behind a very confused and lovesick cat boy. Chat looked at the spot where she had been standing just seconds before as he replayed everything that had just happened in the last few minutes in his head. She was gone, but he didn't feel sad.

"I'll be waiting, my lady." Chat whispered softly to the night sky as he smiled at the memory of his ladybug. He couldn't explain it but deep down inside, he knew that they'd meet again.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette stepped off the plane and into the airport, tired from having spent the last ten hours on a cramped airplane. Although she was exhausted she could feel her heart bursting with joy, she was finally back home in the city she loved and cherished so much. It was the first time in 5 years that she had set foot in Paris, but it still felt so familiar, as if she had never left.

When she had gotten the email a week ago from Alya, telling her all about the class reunion that was being planned and insisting that she had to come back to Paris in order to attend it, Marinette had been a little hesitant at first. After spending 5 years studying fashion in America and slowing working her way up from a lowly intern, she wasn't sure if it was now was the best time to take a little break. But as soon as the plane had landed and she had gotten her first look at Paris again, all doubts in her mind had instantly disappeared.

"Marinette! Over here!"

Scanning the crowd, Marinette spotted her old friend, waving enthusiastically at her, and bouncing slightly with excitement. Grinning, Alya broke into a small run and threw her arms around Marinette as soon as she was close enough.

"I can't believe you're here!" Alya gushed as she gave Marinette a bone crushing hug. A few seconds later she stepped back and snapped a quick picture of her friend, all while laughing happily. "Everyone is gonna be so happy to see you."

Marinette giggled slightly, her cheeks heating up a bit as she noticed that people around them were glancing at the two of them. "We should probably get out of the way, people are still getting off the plane."

"Oh, you're right! We should hurry, there's no time to waste." Alya agreed as she grabbed a hold of Marinette's arm and began leading her through the crowds of passengers, towards the baggage claim room.

"Don't you think we should slow down a bit?" Marinette asked as she nearly toppled over someone for the 3rd time.

Alya laughed at her suggestion and only quickened her pace. "Nope! Come on, we've got a lot of catching up to do!"

After finally managing to find her bags, Marinette followed Alya to her car. "Thanks again to coming to pick me up." She said as she placed her suitcase in the truck and closed it.

"Don't mention it, it's not like it was an inconvenience for me. " Alya assured her as she checked her side mirror and began backing out of the parking spot. "I haven't seen you in so long, I was so excited when you called and asked me."

Marinette smiled and looked out of the window as they drove down the streets of Paris. "A lot sure has changed..."

Alya shrugged. "Five years is a long time," She smirked as a thought popped into her head. "Well...not everything has changed. Look to your right, it'll come up in a second."

"What will?" Marinette looked curiously as she searched for whatever it was that Alya was talking about.

Soon she spotted a huge billboard in the distance that was getting closer with every passing second. Adrien Agreste, her former classmate, crush, and friend, was plastered all over it. Over the past 5 years, he had only gotten more good looking, his blonde hair was wild and more tousled up, his green eyes were as striking as ever, and his easy going smile still sparkled brightly. The picture of Adrien showed him wearing a suit, with the jacked tossed over his shoulder and the tie loosened up slightly.

Marinette could feel her cheeks heating up as she stared at the huge photo of him. She had never truly gotten over her crush on him, although it had lessened every since she had moved away to America to study fashion design. But now, as her heart began racing, she knew that her affection for him was back and stronger than ever.

"Yup, Adrien Agreste, time sure has been kind to that boy." Alya commented as she studied Marinette's blushing face. "And the best part, he's still single."

Marinette whipped around to face Alya. "What? How do you know that?" She asked, trying hard not to let all her excitement and eagerness show. "I mean, I'm just curious. It's not like I still have a crush on him, not after 5 whole years..." She laughed nervously as she trailed off.

"It's a reporter's job to know everything about everyone." Alya reminded her as she winked suggestively. "And I happen to know that there's no one in picture, and that Adrien will be going to the reunion next week."

"Really?" Marinette felt her heart flutter in her chest.

"Yup. You'll finally get a 2nd chance with him." Alya then pulled up the car in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. "And we're here! We're still meeting up tomorrow for lunch, right?"

"Of course." Marinette gave her friend one last hug and then got out to go grab her bags. Everything about her trip had been great so far, she had gotten to see Alya again, and now she was finally going to see her parents and the bakery again. Although, if she was being honest, there was one thing that she was especially eager to finally be able to do again...

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Sometimes, when Adrien couldn't sleep, when the night was too silent and calm that it drove him crazy and made him crave adventure and excitement, he would have Plagg transform him and spend a few hours just jumping around Paris and enjoying the city at night.

It wasn't sometime he did often because he had to be especially careful. As far as the public knew, Ladybug and Chat Noir had disappeared five years and they weren't coming back. If anyone were to see him, or snap a picture of him it would be all over the news by the next morning, and that wasn't something he particularly wanted to have to deal with.

As Chat Noir sat on top of a building, letting the wind blow through his hair and watching over the peaceful city at night, he couldn't help but start to think. About a lot of things, actually. About how he didn't want to spend the rest of his life being a model, about how excited he was for the class reunion, about how much he missed being able to transform whenever he wanted, and most of all, about how much he missed Ladybug.

He didn't know why she popped in his head or why he couldn't stop thinking about her. It had been 5 years since she had said goodbye to him, one would think that by now he would be over her and have moved on to someone else. The truth was, he didn't think he would ever get over her, after so many years his love for her was still as strong as ever.

Sighing, Chat got up slowly as he heard a bell tower in the distance strike 2 times, signaling that it was now two in the morning. It was about time he go back home, tomorrow he had an early appointment with his father. Gabriel was looking for a new assistant and he had insisted that Adrien come conduct the interviews with him.

For some reason that he couldn't explain, he suddenly had a strange instinct to turn back and take one more look at the city below him. He didn't know what it was, as if some invisible force was forcing his legs to move back to where he had originally been sitting.

As he looked out into the distance, his eyes spotted a small, moving blur that was traveling fast from building to building. Chat blinked once and rubbed his eyes, unsure if what he saw was real or if his lack of sleep was finally starting to affect him. He kept his eyes trained along the same spot, searching intently for another glance at the blur. He was about to give up and go home when he finally saw it again, and this time it passed close enough to a nearby building light that for a second Chat was able to make out a flash of red and black.

His heart stopped, and then it started beating rapidly, faster than it ever had before. His Lady was finally back, he was sure of it.


	3. Chapter 3

"There's something you've got to see!" Those were the first words out of Alya's mouth as soon as Marinette was within earshot of the small table that Alya had claimed outside of a café.

"Well, hello to you too." Marinette laughed slightly as she pulled out a chair and sat down across from her friend. "What is it?" She asked curiously as she observed the way she was frantically typing into her phone.

"Ladyblog." Alya said bluntly, too busy to stop what she was doing to explain properly. "You'll see."

Marinette felt the smile drop off her face. She hoped what Alya was about to show wasn't what she thought it would be. Last night...she knew that it had been risky of her to transform into Ladybug, but she had just wanted to relieve the experience just one more time. "The Ladyblog is still active? I thought you hadn't posted anything new for years now."

Alya laughed triumphantly. "As of today, it's 5 year hiatus is officially over! Check out the pic that some fan sent me!" She held out her phone so that Marinette could get a clear view of the picture.

It wasn't of very good quality, the photo was blurry and had been taken late at night but in the distance, a faint red blur with black markings could be seen in an outline that vaguely resembled a human. Marinette sworn that her heart stopped the minute she laid eyes on it, she had tried her best to be careful last night but someone had seen her.

"I was just as shocked as you are!" Alya said, mistaking the look of horror on her friend's face as surprise. "Ladybug's back!"

Marinette hastily handed back the phone. "This isn't the first time a photo like this has shown up. It could just be a cosplayer." She said quickly, trying her hardest to convince Alya.

Alya merely shook her head and grinned. "It's the real deal, I just know it is! Ladybug is back, after 5 whole years!" The grin slipped off her face and was replaced with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "I wonder why she's back after all this time..."

"Maybe she just decided to come back? There might not be a specific reason why she suddenly appeared again. And I still think that it might not even be her, the photo is really blurry, maybe it was just a bird or something. Yeah, it was probably a bird." Marinette laughed nervously at the thought but stopped when she saw that Alya wasn't laughing with her.

"There's something off about this..." Alya muttered more to herself than to Marinette. "She wouldn't just randomly come back just because she wanted to. Maybe there's something important happening in this town that made her come back, some special event that she couldn't miss..."

"I really don't think so, let's talk about something else-"

Alya's eyes widened in realization. "That's it!" She cried, leaping up out of her seat. "I bet it has something to do with the class reunion that's happening next week! That's why she's back!"

"Oh, I had forgotten about the class reunion!" Marinette exclaimed loudly, hoping to change the subject. "Why don't you tell me more about that?"

"Can't right now, sorry." Alya hurriedly picked up her bag and pushed her chair in. "Ladybug might be coming to our class reunion! I've got to go work on the Ladyblog, this is major news!" She turned to leave but stopped suddenly, as if she had remembered something important. "I almost forgot! Gabriel Agreste is looking for a new assistant!" She pulled a paper out of her bag and held it out to Marinette.

Marinette reluctantly took the paper and put it in her bag without glancing at it first. "That's great, but I'm only staying here for two weeks."

Alya frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "It's Gabriel Agreste, one of the biggest names in the fashion industry and your future father in law! At least think about it, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Alright, I'll think about it." Marinette promised, although she felt a pang of guilt knowing that she probably wouldn't do that. Right now she had only things to think about, especially what she was going to do about the picture.

"Great! I'm sorry I had to cut this lunch short, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow, just wait until you see what I have planned!" Alya cried excitedly as she hugged Marinette quickly and then left.

Marinette sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration. She didn't know what she was going to do, and as soon as word got around about the picture...everything would be even more complicated...

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Marinette couldn't sleep that night, she tossed and turned but found that no matter what she did, she could simply not get comfortable. Through her window she could see the moon shining brightly and feel the slightest hints of a cool breeze. She itched to be outside, jumping around from building to building, to immense herself in the tranquility of the nighttime.

There was one thing on her mind, and no matter how hard she fought not to think about, it soon consumed all her thoughts. Chat Noir. She wondered how he had been for the last 5 years, if he had a good job, if he had accomplished big things, or if he too also missed their adventures as the dynamic duo of superheroes.

Of course, these were all silly questions because she did know exactly what Chat had been up to for the past 5 years. Adrien Agreste was plastered all over fashion magazines and he was still very well known in the industry.

Adrien. Chat. It was still hard for her to think of them as one single person instead of two people with completely different personalities. Trying to imagine Adrien making silly puns and flirting did nothing but make Marinette burst out laughing while blushing like crazy. She really missed them, both of them, missed them so much that it was driving her insane.

She sat up and quietly crawled out of bed, and made her way over to the window. The mistake had already been made and by morning the photo would be all over the news, perhaps, there was no harm in going out again...

"Tikki, spots on."

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Looking down below at the calm city from above the rooftops, feeling the wind brushing through her hair, it was as if she had never left. The only thing missing was Chat, standing right besides her.

She sighed softly when she realized that she was still thinking about him, the thought of him just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on how bright the moon was or how beautiful all the stars were. It Chat was there, he probably would have been pointing out constellations and making up funny stories about them.

In the distance, a clock struck twice, signaling that it was now two in the morning. There was no reason for her to linger around anymore, the outing hadn't cured the longing of her heart, or the loneliness that consumed her. Her eyes, she was surprised to find that they were wet and that her breathing had become shaky. How she wished that Chat would suddenly appear by her side, 5 years was such a long time, she had hoped in the beginning that she would eventually get over him but that definitely wasn't going to happen, especially given the fact that she was standing on some random rooftop in the middle of the night while crying her eyes out.

"My lady?"

It couldn't be, she had to have been dreaming, or at the very least just imagining that she had heard his comforting voice, full of so much love and reassurance. Slowly, she turned around, and the first thing that she saw were two very familiar green eyes that were brimming with tears of happiness.

"Chat," She whispered softly, almost afraid that she really was just dreaming and that she would soon wake up all alone in her bed. "You-"

She never got to say what she wanted to say, because before she could even finish that sentence, Chat rushed forward with his cat-like reflexes and instantly engulfed her in a tight hug. "You're back! My lady, you're finally back!" He cried softly in her ear as he tightened his grip on her.

"Chat, you can let go now." Ladybug whispered back, although she herself was had tightly wrapped her arms around him as well and had absolutely no desire to let go of him. Her heart felt like it was about to burst right out of her chest.

Chat laughed softly at her words, his wonderful laugh that she had missed so, so much. "I'm never letting go," He murmured, leaning in so close that their foreheads were almost touching. "It's been so long..."

Ladybug felt the smile slip off her face as she suddenly realized something truly awful and heartbreaking. "Chat..." She had no idea how to break it to him, how to tell that after all this time she was going to leave again, as soon as the class reunion was over. "I'm only visiting-"

"-Not now." Chat said gently, placing a finger against her lips to silence her. "For now, let's just enjoy this moment." His eyes were shining so brightly that they could rival the sun and his messy blonde locks were tickling against Ladybug's eyes.

He finally released her from the hug and although he had taken a step back, one of his hands still remained tightly clutched against hers. He smiled, and looked up at the sky, using his other hand to point at a small group of stars. "I've got a great story to tell you."

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 **A/n: AHHH, I FINALLY UPDATED! This chapter was so hard to write...sorry if it's not that great, I literally had no idea what to write...**


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette sat at a small table, outside of the restaurant that Alya had texted her to be at, and drummed her fingers against the table top in anticipation as she wanted for her friend to arrive.

Twenty minutes went by and Alya still hadn't arrived. Marinette's hand started inches towards her phone but she quickly realized what she was doing and shoved her phone into her purse. Since morning, the new of Ladybug's possible return had made it's way all over Paris, and the whole town was buzzing about the news. It was impossible to go on any social media or news station without hearing something about Ladybug, whether it be theorists who were trying to disprove the picture or random people claiming to be close friends with the superhero.

The whole thing was a big mess, and for once, Marinette just wanted to push it to the back of her mind and not think about it for a while. Speaking about things that she didn't want to think about...Chat. Last night she hadn't been about to properly tell him that she would be leaving in 2 weeks, she just hadn't been able to bring herself to do it, but she knew that she would have to tell him eventually. It pained her, the thought of hurting him once again, but she was going to have to do it.

"Hi, Marinette! Sorry, we're late!"

Alya's voice startled her and all thoughts of Chat Noir and Ladybug flew out of Marinette's head as soon as she heard the familiar voice of her friend. Smiling, she looked up to greet her, happy to have something to distract her from all her worries. "It's no problem, Alya..." Marinette's voice trailed off and she took a sharp breath when she looked up.

Standing right behind Alya, looking just as handsome as ever, was Adrien Agreste.

"Surprise!" Alya cried, clapping her hands in excitement, completely misreading the shock on her friend's face. "Adrien's gonna be joining us for lunch!"

"...H-he is?" Marinette managed to squeak out, her heart was beating so hard it seemed like it would burst out of her chest. How was she supposed to forget about Chat Noir if he was going to be sitting right in front of her?

Adrien smiled, shyly and nodded. "I hope you don't mind, Marinette, that I'm intruding on your lunch plans." He tried to seem apologetic, but there was no mistaking how his green eyes shined with delight. "But it's been so long since I've seen either of you, I couldn't pass up this opportunity when Alya invited me."

"It's fine." Marinette said quickly, while shooting a glance at Alya. Later, she was going to have a talk with her friend. She turned back to Adrien and gave him a small smile. "It's nice to see you again, Adrien."

Alya quickly spoke up before Adrien could. "Guys, don't act like such strangers! Hug!" She gave Adrien a small nudge towards Marinette and mimed the motion of a hug. "It's been five years!" From behind Adrien, she gave Marinette a quick wink.

Marinette blushed before she could stop herself, her cheeks heating up to impossibly red colors. "That's not really-" Before she could even finish her sentence, she felt two warm hands wrap around her and she pull her towards his chest. She froze in horror when a single thought popped into her head. _Chat and Adrien's hugs are exactly the same._

It felt nice though, comforting. It wasn't until Alya cleared her throat that the two of sheepishly separated pulled apart and took a seat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sorry that we didn't get here earlier," Alya said again, once their food had arrived. She looked over at Adrien and jokingly pointed an accusing finger at him. "He woke up late."

Adrien smiled sheepishly. "I was up late last night," He shrugged apologetically. "That's why I overslept."

"Doing what?" Marinette spoke up, before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean?" Adrien gave her a confused smile, although the tone of his voice seemed a bit off, almost robotic.

"What were you up doing last night that made you oversleep?" Marinette said each word slowly, carefully studying Adrien's face to see if there was any reaction from him. She just wanted to see how he would answer the question, to see if there really was any hint of Chat Noir in him.

"I was just up doing some work for my father." Adrien finally answered, his eyes were looking down at his food, and the way he spoke made it seem like even he doubted that excuse. He finally looked up and cleared his throat, "He's looking for a new intern and wants me to help him with the process."

"A new intern? What a coincidence!" Alya suddenly cut in, shooting Marinette an eager look. "Marinette was just thinking about finding an internship..."

"Alya, you know that I'm leavin-" Marinette tried to scold her friend, but she had no luck. Alya clearly had Adrien's attention.

"Marinette, you should try out, I think you'd be a great intern." He seemed thrilled at the idea.

"See?" Alya gestured towards Adrien and looked at Marinette with puppy dog eyes. "Adrien's thinks you'd be a great intern."

"But, Alya,-"

"If you want, I'll even set up an interview date for you." Adrien offered, he too was looking at Marinette with pleading eyes, and it was definitely working on her.

"Well," Marinette sighed and nodded. "I guess an interview couldn't hurt."

A huge grin spread across Adrien's face. "Great! I'll call you and let you know when..." He trailed off as a important detail that he had forgotten popped into his head. "...I actually don't have your phone number.."

"Oh...you don't..."

"Don't worry about that, she'll give it to you." Alya assured him before turning towards Marinette. _What are  
you waiting for? _She mouthed.

"Just a minute, I know I have a pen in here somewhere..." Marinette quickly dug through her purse, making a mental note to later clean up all the junk that she had in there. "Here it is!" She said, triumphantly pulling it without realizing that something had gotten hooked around the cap. She wrote out her number on a napkin and then pushed it towards Adrien.

"Thanks..." Adrien tucked the paper into his pocket, although his eyes remained strangely fixated on Marinette's hand. "What's that? On the pen?"

Marinette looked down at it and saw that a large string with beads on it had gotten wrapped around the pen. Her good luck charm, her gift from Chat Noir, she had forgotten that she had placed it in her purse for safekeeping. "It's nothing," She laughed breathlessly and shoved it back into her purse. "It's just an old good luck charm, I just have so much junk in here...I really should clean it out."

Adrien continued to stare at her, a strange look was on his face. "But...did you buy it somewhere, or did you make it, or..." He hesitated for a split second. "...did someone give it to you?" He was looking straight at her, as if he was trying to look through her. A look of realization suddenly dawned on him, and his eyes widened in shock.

Marinette froze and she almost wanted to kick herself when she realized what a big mistake she had made. "I really can't remember, it's just some old string..." She assured him, desperately hoping that he would just drop the matter. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Alya get up and she quickly followed as well. "Alya, are you going to the restroom? I'll go with you!"

Alya looked at her strangely. "It's alright, I can go by myse-"

"Nope, I insist, let's go!" Marinette quickly grabbed Ayla's arm and raced inside the restaurant, towards the restrooms. As the door closed behind her, she felt as if she could still feel Adrien's questioning eyes on her, and she almost wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. What was she going to do now?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the table, Adrien sat quietly, in stunned silence as his mind replayed everything that had just happened. He knew for sure, that he had seen that good luck charm before, in fact he was almost 100% positive that it was the exact same charm that he had given to Ladybug so long ago. The implication was clear...

"Marinette is...Ladybug..."


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien stared up at the ceiling upon his bed and his mind began to wonder back to what had happened earlier. Marinette had never returned from the bathroom, instead Alya had sheepishly told him that Mari had forgotten about an important appointment that she couldn't miss. Of course, he could tell Alya was lying, but he decided not to pressure her for details and the two of them finished their lunch.

Marinette was Ladybug, he knew that now, and she knew that he knew. Adrien grinned foolishly at the thought, and felt his heart start to beat faster, he finally knew who his beloved lady really was! For years he had dreamed of this moment, although admittedly he had never pictured the reveal happening quite like this.

The smile slipped off his face as he suddenly realized something. Marinette was only staying until after the class reunion. His heart sank and he groaned as he buried his head into a pillow. Life really wasn't fair sometimes, all he wanted was to just be together with his Lady, was that really too much to ask for?

Adrien sighed and looked up, his eyes landing on the clock that was on his desk. An idea popped into his head and he scrambled off the bed and launched himself towards the desk. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?" He asked out loud.

"Because you were too busy being in shock?" Plagg answered, having finally woken up from his nap and searching intently for food. He leaned over Adrien's shoulder and looked down at his phone. "What are you doing?"

Adrien looked up from his text and grinned. "I've got an idea."

Marinette sighed as she threw her phone on her desk and rubbed her tired eyes. Although Alya had agreed to make up an excuse so she could escape quietly from the lunch outing, her friend still hadn't stopped asking why exactly Mari hadn't wanted to be around Adrien.

"I'll just go to sleep right now..." She decided as she turned off her lamp and jumped onto her bed. There were so many things that she really didn't want to deal with at the moment, and she still hadn't even figured out if she was really going to do the interview or not. Adrien had said that he would try to get a spot for her, but now she was having second thoughts about it and even considered calling Adrien so that she could tell him that she had changed her mind.

Of course talking to Adrien was also something that she didn't want to do either. He knew that she was Ladybug...he knew everything now...and she was scared of how he was going to react. She knew that he had always had a crush on Ladybug, but that was Ladybug, not Marinette. She couldn't help but think that perhaps he was a bit disappointed by her, now that he knew who was really behind the masked superhero.

No matter how much she tossed and turned, she just couldn't seem to fall asleep. Her room felt so stuffy and tiny, she felt as if she was a small animal confined to a cage. She got up and walked outside to her balcony, and leaned on the railing as she looked up at the night sky.

"Marinette, you've got a message." Tikki called out from the little bed that Marinette had crafted for her. The little kwami picked up the phone and flew it over to Marinette.

"Probably Alya again," Marinette thought as she take the phone and looked at the message.

 **Hi Marinette, it's Adrien. I was wondering if you're free tomorrow.**


End file.
